The present invention relates to a photofinishing system as well as an image processing and manipulation arrangement which includes digital image processing.
Conventional photofinishing systems and or arrangements have a long history of attempting to supply customers with convenient and simple ways to take pictures that serve to record their everyday lives. In the conventional approach to picture taking, a customer exposes images on a roll of film and delivers the roll of film to a retailer or photofinishing site for processing. These systems require wet processing and can be slow and inconvenient for customers to employ either themselves or indirectly with the support of a photofinisher. The processed film is thereafter returned to the customer along with prints and such. Normally, the customer does not have an opportunity to choose a desired appearance characteristic or look for the images to be exposed when he first purchases the roll of film other than by the advertised properties of, or previous experience with a particular film brand. More specifically, the customer does not have an opportunity to choose an appearance characteristic or look, such as color reproduction, portraiture, brilliant color, black and white, old fashioned sepia tones, selected levels of color intensity, selected levels of contrast, etc., which are to be associated with the exposed images. Further, the customer does not have the opportunity to select and obtain multiple looks of the same image or multiple looks for distinct images on the same roll. Further, these systems require wet processing and can be slow and inconvenient for customers to employ.
The present invention provides for a unique image processing and manipulation system which gives the customer an opportunity to choose a particular appearance or look for images which he/she exposes on a photosensitive film. More specifically, the present invention provides for a system which enables a picture taker to customize the exposed images on the photosensitive film, by having a photofinisher offer different looks which can be associated with the images.
The present invention provides for an image processing method which comprises the steps of creating a user order based on a user selected dry process photographic film and a user selected appearance characteristic that is to be associated with at least one image exposed on the user selected photographic film, with the user selected appearance characteristic being selected from a plurality of appearance characteristics; developing the user selected photographic film to produce images captured by the user; scanning the developed user selected photographic film to produce a digital record of the captured images; and digitally processing the digital record file of the captured images based on the user selected appearance characteristic to produce processed images which reflect the user selected appearance characteristic.
The present invention further relates to an imaging system which comprises a developing station for developing a dry process photographic film to produce images exposed on the film; a code reader for reading a unique code on the photographic film, with the unique code comprising information representing a selected appearance characteristic which is to be associated with the images from the developed photographic film; a scanner for scanning the developed photographic film to provide for a digital record file of the images; and a digital image processor for processing the digital record file based on the unique code, so as to produce processed images which have been corrected to reflect the selected appearance characteristic.
The present invention further relates to a method of providing image processing services by a photofinisher to a customer which comprises the steps of creating a customer order based on an unexposed dry process photographic film and an appearance characteristic selected by a customer which is to be associated with images captured on the selected photographic film, with the appearance characteristic being selected by the customer from a plurality of appearance characteristics; assigning a code representative of at least one of the selected unexposed photographic film and the customer order; storing the code in a customer database; and supplying the customer with the selected unexposed photographic film.
In a further feature of the invention noted above, after exposure of the film by the customer and return of the exposed dry process film to the photofinisher, the method comprises the further steps of: developing the photographic film to produce images captured by the customer; scanning the developed photographic film to produce a digital record of the captured images; reading the code on the photographic film and associating the code with the digital record file of the captured images; searching the customer database and retrieving the selected appearance characteristic based on the stored code; associating the selected appearance characteristic with the digital record of the captured images; and digitally processing the digital record file of the captured images based on the selected appearance characteristic to produce processed images which reflect the selected appearance characteristic.
The present invention further relates to an imaging system which comprises a reader for reading an identification associate with a photographic film, with the identification identifying the photographic film as compatible with a dry processing; and a developing station for developing a dry process photographic film to produce images exposed on the film, wherein compatible film identified by the reader is developed at the developing station.
The present invention further relates to an image processing method which comprises the steps of: reading an identification associated with a photographic film, with the identification identifying the photographic film as compatible with dry processing; and developing the compatible film at a developing station to produce images exposed on the film.